Lewis Hamilton uncertainty piles pressure on Valtteri Bottas with George Russell lurking

F1: Mercedes unveil car for 2021 season

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Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas has a mountain to climb this season to snatch the world Formula One title, and maybe only one year left to do it.

With speculation mounting that Mercedes’ junior driver George Russell – who impressed when standing in for a Covid-stricken Hamilton at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix on loan from Williams – could be part of the Mercedes line-up next year, it leaves Bottas’ prospects at the team in question.

It would also appear to be reliant on Hamilton retiring if Russell is indeed recruited.

Speaking with German TV channel RTL recently, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: “George will definitely play a role in our future line-up. He just has to have trust and patience. Today we are concentrating on our two drivers, Valtteri and Lewis.

“This is our regular team. We will see what the future brings.”

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At the team’s launch of its new car on Tuesday, Wolf reiterated that: “The future is very bright for George. He has no need to worry.”

Russell is about to start his final season of a three-year deal with Williams, after that he will be a free agent.

In his short-notice stand-in for Hamilton, with no prior experience with the Mercedes, he impressed, sweeping past Bottas off the line. His hard work was undone though, after a puncture later in the race.

At the car launch on Tuesday Bottas, 31 and about to begin his fifth season partnering Hamilton, seemed reflective as he considered his 2021 prospects.

“When I get to Abu Dhabi at the end of the season I want to be able to look back and tell myself that I gave it absolutely everything, that nothing was left on the table,” the Finn said.

“One year in a lifetime to give everything you have is not long really.”

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Much like Bottas, Hamilton himself wasn’t too keen to engage in future chat, remaining firmly on the fence.

“There is no real need to plan too far ahead in the future. I think we are living in an unusual period of time and you look at life and I just wanted one year,” said Hamilton.

Then, we can talk about if we want to do one more, and then add one if we have to.”

Asked about Bottas’ future with the team, Wolff replied, “He’s in the unfortunate situation that through the last few years it was one-year contracts.

“He functions really well with the pressure, he’s the cool Finn who is able to hold that back. 

“But 2022 is a completely new year with new regulations and that’s why we just want to see how it pans out during the course of the year.”

Even if Hamilton did retire and Russell was recruited, there would still be pressure on Bottas’ place. Max Verstappen, currently at Red Bull, has long been linked with a Mercedes move.

The boss of Red Bull Christian Horner says he is fully aware that Verstappen could very well be a target for Mercedes.

However, Verstappen signed a new long-term agreement with Red Bill at the start of last season, committing to the squad for a further four seasons.

“There is an element of performance related to Max’s contract. I’m not going to go into what that is,” said Horner.

“As with all these things, though, to force a driver that doesn’t want to be there, it’s more about relationships than contracts.

“You only pull a contract out of a drawer when you’ve got a problem, in my experience.”

In theory, Verstappen’s contract isn’t up for discussion until the end of the 2023 season, and Christian Horner says the 23-year-old, who finished 3rd in the drivers’ standings last season, has a strong relationship with the team.

But when it all shakes out, is the idea of having a very fast Max Verstappen alongside a very promising George Russell too much of a pull for the Mercedes team bosses?

The season gets underway in just a few weeks time in Bahrain, in what could be a career defining year for Valtteri Bottas.

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